5 Apps That You Will Find Useful in Your Mac's Menu Bar

The Mac's menu bar is the place where you can quickly access different functions on your machine. From here you can easily connect to various WiFi networks, check how much battery power you have left, adjust the volume control, and determine your iChat, Sync, and VPN status as well. One great thing about the menu bar is that it can be accessed no matter what application you are currently using. It also does not interrupt your work and lets you accomplish your task.

So below is a collection of apps that will make your Mac's menu bar even more useful and interesting.

Loading

The Loading app allows you to see what apps are currently accessing your network connection. This app with a sun's ray-like icon sits on your menu bar, which shows you all the apps that are currently or have recently used your network connection. This will help you determine which apps are using your bandwidth and uninstall them accordingly.

This is a great tool to help you easily identify the apps that are wasting your connection. The Loading app can be downloaded from its official website for free.

Clip Menu

Clip Menu is an app for Mac that extends the default clipboard limit to eight items instead of one. It keeps the most current eight items in it, and then you can paste them where you need it. This may be considered as an enhanced version of clipboard that most of us would be delighted to see in the next version of OS X.

You can get the Clip Menu app for free from its official website.

Ejector

Do you find the usual process of ejecting on a removable disk drive (right-clicking on it then selecting eject) from your Mac somewhat tiring or inconvenient? Well, the Ejector app can solve that trouble for you. Whenever you want to eject a drive on your Mac, simply click on the Ejector icon on your menu bar, then select the drive you wish to eject, and it will be safely ejected from your Mac. The app also gives you the option to eject all drives off your machine, which is convenient especially if you have multiple drives connected to your Mac and you don't have the time to eject each one individually.

The Ejector app is available for free on the MacUpdate website.

Tomighty

This is an app that lets you set a timer straight from your menu bar so you can monitor of how long your break was or how long you have been working on your machine. To use it, simply click on the app icon on the menu bar, select the break type, and then the timer will start. The timer will keep on counting until the time you have specified is up.

Tomighty can be downloaded for free from its official website.

Bartender

Bartender for Mac lets you organize the menu bar icons so that they are in good shape and do not overlap. It allows you to rearrange the menu bar icons, place them according to your preference, hide icons that you don't want to see, and so on. As for the functionality, this app does not affect how the app works even if you have modified your menu bar.

Try the Bartender app free of charge for four weeks, and then you can upgrade it to the paid version.

4 Mac Apps That Will Help You Become More Focused and Productive

It doesn't matter whether you are finishing a work presentation on your computer or just getting your homework, there will always be some form of distraction to keep you from accomplishing your task. Such distractions can be in the form of checking your emails or Facebook feed, listening to online radio, browsing for the latest in lifestyle, fashion, or anything that interests you.

If you happen to be a Mac user, there are some apps that can help you ward off those distractions and keep you focused on what needs to be done right away. These apps block those services that it thinks you don't need at the moment. So, if that's what you're looking for right now, check out the apps below.

1. SelfControl

We all know that one of the most distracting things when working on a computer is the Internet. If you know that your computer has Internet access, it's hard to fight the urge not to open a browser and head to your favorite site or check your Facebook feed. Well, SelfControl lets you block websites you don't want to be distracted by, and it keeps them blocked as long as you want them to be. When the time restriction is up, you can then be able to access those websites you've blocked a while ago.

The app's blacklist is where you can specify those websites that you want to be blocked while you're working on something urgent on your Mac. All the websites you have indicated on the said list will not be accessible until the specified time is over.

The SelfControl app can be downloaded for free from its official website.

2. Focus

Basing on its name, the Focus app helps you stay focused on your actual work by preventing you from accessing social media and other sites on all the browsers on your Mac. You have the liberty to choose which sites you want to be blocked, including Facebook, Reddit, and IMs. Once you have blocked a website, you will see an inspirational quote, which you can customize yourself, to help you get motivated and finish your task right away.

Focus is a geek-friendly app that allows you to use its functions via the Terminal. A few commands from the Terminal, and you should be able to accomplish your work with the app's aid You can download either the trial or the paid version from its official website.

3. WriteRoom

If you're a writer and don't want to get distracted by anything while you're composing your work, then WriteRoom is the perfect app for you. Unlike any other text editor, the app doesn't have any page layouts, tables, or graphs. It's just a plain blank space, so that you can focus on the only thing that you need to do -- write.

And while you're so busy composing that great blog article, it's easy to forget to save your work. There's no need to worry about that part because WriteRoom has an auto-save feature, so that you don't lose your precious work in the event of any unfortunate incident.

WriteRoom is available in both free and paid versions.

4. Time Out

Stressed too much? Time Out is an app that reminds you to take a break once in a while, so you don't get tensed too much and give your tired mind a breather. This app helps you relax and move around after you have been working on your task for quite some time. Included as well is the micro break function that reminds you to take a break, say every ten minutes, and relax for a bit. Sometimes, when we get too much involved in our work, we tend to forget to take a quick break.

Luckily, you can get the Time Out app free of charge from its official website.

Useful Apps for Mac That Can Make Your Travel More Convenient

Traveling around the world can be a fun and enjoyable experience, as long as you have all the right gadgets and information to help you along the way. These things include maps, sufficient information about the country or place you are going to visit, affordable accommodations, taxi stops, and so on. And since it may sound impossible to get all these information in a piece of paper or booklet, there are now apps that can make your life much easier, especially when you are traveling. They can help you do your tasks and find places where you want to go even in a foreign country where language differences can be a barrier.

So without further ado, below are apps for Mac that will make your traveling easy-breezy.

1. Bellhop

Looking for a good hotel is one of the most tedious tasks when traveling, and this may not be easy if you're not familiar with the place you are going to visit. Bellhop helps you find good accommodations in a foreign country and let you find some of the great deals that are happening with the hotels around the world. It also shows the hotels on the map where you can pick from, and then you can proceed with the usual booking procedure.

You can download the Bellhop app for free from the Mac App Store.

2. Google Earth

Would you like to have a clearer picture of the town or the streets of the place you're going to visit? Well, Google Earth is the app that perfectly suits the job. With data from all around the world, the app shows you maps as well as satellite views of different places around the world straight from your Mac. You have the option to zoom in or out a certain area, get a street view, see traffic jams, and many more. It helps you see your destination at a glance with ease via satellite views.

Simply go to their official website to download this app for free.

3. Flight Status

If you are concerned about the gate number of your flight, or you would like to check where you can claim your baggage, Flight Status is the right app that you need. It tracks flights all around the world and provides you with the precise information you need. It allows you to check your flight's gate number, terminal number, baggage claim info, and so on. It currently supports over 4,300+ airports and 1,200+ airlines, so there's a great chance that yours is covered by Flight Status.

You can get this app from the Mac App Store for $6.99.

4. Universal Translator

Is your next flight going to be in China or Indonesia? If so, you may have a hard time making a conversation with most of the people there. In that case, you need to have the Universal Translator app to help you survive your challenging travel abroad. You just need to tell it what you want to be translated and it will give you the right answers. So the next time someone tells you "Sabai dee mai," you can answer that person right away with "Sabai dee krab."

Universal Translator is completely free from the Mac App Store.

5. Swackett

It's also important for you to be updated with the weather before hopping on your flight. Swackett is an app for Mac that lets you check the weather on any city so you would know whether you need to bring an umbrella with you, if wearing a short is suitable once you get there, or just be prepared what lies ahead. With its attractive and informative interface, this app is a great help to bring along.

The Swackett app is available for free on the Mac App Store.

6. Coffee Shop Locator

After a long day of sight-seeing and walking along the streets of a foreign country, you'll definitely want to look for a nice coffee shop where you can relax and sip a cup of coffee. So how do you do that? Well, the Coffee Shop Locator can be the answer to your question. This app searches for Starbucks shops near your current location and filters them as per your preferences. If you don't like those that are situated inside malls, you can set that option on the app. The app will show you those that will suit your requirements. The shops are plotted on the map for better visibility.

You can also get this app from the Mac App Store for free.

7. Currency Converter

Exchanging your money to the currency of the place you're going to is part of every traveler's task. You can't enjoy your visit if you can't buy any souvenir or dine at a nice restaurant on that place, simply because you don't have their currency. But how would you know how many US dollars equal a hundred British pounds? There's nothing to worry because Currency Converter can give you the answer. It's a widget that sits in the dashboard of your Mac for easy access and shows you the current currency rates. You now have a way of knowing how much money you are going to need at your destination and have it converted to the forein currency while you're in your home country. The app does all kinds of currency conversions and supports almost every currency out there.

Simply visit the Mac Update website so you can download Currency Converter for free. These apps will definitely give you a smoother and more enjoyable traveling experience. Why? With the help of these apps, you don't need to run around and ask for someone if they can speak your language before asking for assistance or directions. Of course, you still have the choice to meet other people and gain a friend or two while you're abroad. But for the meantime, it's nice to be prepared and know where you're going so that you can maximize your time to enjoy the beauty of the place. Good luck!